The Air I Breathe
by CuteVampireCollie
Summary: You are slowly becoming the air I breathe. But with a world like ours...that air will soon become poisonous. And even if I love you, I'll only be able to last so long breathing tainted air. Finnick/Peeta. Finnick's POV.


Okay, so another Hunger Games fic…but this time with a different couple. I blame Sam Claflin, Josh Hutcherson, and my best friend, Aviditty wholeheartedly for this. XD Peeta and Finnick…I adore Yaoi…but I love Peeta with Katniss so much that when I first thought of this couple, I denied that it peaked my interest. But then Aviditty showed me some interviews with Sam and Josh and their little bromance…and my denial flew the fricking coop. So now we're left with this little ficlet.

Anyway…for the sake of this couple, it would be better off if Annie was, um…dead. I feel so horrible for saying that, but…or she could just not be in the picture, I don't really know. XD; So there won't even be any mentions of Annie in this fic. I do love Finnick and Annie together, but I think one of my main pairings is now Finnick and Peeta, so…Although Katniss/Peeta will ALWAYS remain my OTP. Love them so, so much!~

This is fic is basically about when Peeta walks into the force field in the Quarter Quell arena and how Fiinnick gives him mouth to mouth. Except in my version, Finnick's started to grow feelings for the lovely Boy With The Bread and he's frantic as he's trying to get Peeta to resume breathing. So…think of it what you will. Critique is more than welcome and very much appreciated! Also…this will be in Finnick's POV, just to let you know.

Now, onto the disclaimer! I do not own the forever amazing and lovely series known as The Hunger Games. The characters and rights belong solely to Suzanne Collins and someday I hope to meet that amazing woman in real life so I can gush to her about how amazing her characters are. ;w; ~squee~

Enjoy!

…

Time seemed frozen. One minute, I had been about to ask Katniss what the heck she was staring at, and the next…I felt my heart stop. My mouth suddenly felt very dry and when my heart did resume its beating against my ribcage, it was frantic and harsh in its pounding, staccato rhythm.

I ran fast and hard, falling to my hands and knees as I finally reached Peeta's limp, unmoving body. The force field was still dangerously radiating sparks, and with a sharp jolt, Peeta's body went still. Katniss dropped to the ground beside me, shaking him, crying his name over and over. I immediately pressed my head against Peeta's chest, my eyes clenching shut as I heard no heartbeat.

Without even thinking about it, I put my hands on his chest, right over his heart, and started to pump repeatedly, almost viciously in what I hoped wasn't a vain attempt to restart his heart. After the right amount of chest compressions, I tilted his head back and parted his lips, pressing my mouth against his as I began to force air back into his shocked lungs. Breath after breath. And then the cycle repeated.

I could vaguely hear Katniss sobbing beside me, begging Peeta to wake up. But it was muffled, as if I were underwater. I was in my own anxious world. And I was getting close to hysterical. Which was not like me at all.

In the back of my mind, I started to remember when I had first seen Peeta in person, when our eyes had first met. There had been sparks and I had felt as if I had been kicked straight in the gut, my chest tightening instantly. Every second that our gazes had stayed locked only served to kindle the fire that had started forming inside of me.

I think my entire mindset, every fiber of my being had changed in that very moment. And because of that, I wasn't anywhere near the person I had been before. But… because it was Peeta that had done this to me, I found I didn't mind nearly as much as I probably should have. In a world like this…in _Panem_…falling in love was dangerous. Especially with a leader like Snow.

I forced my lips against his, my breathing harsh and becoming even more ragged with every second Peeta remained unmoving. "Damn it, Peeta!" I slammed a fist against his chest with a feral, pleading growl before going back to my fast, frantically-paced compressions. I needed him to breathe. I _needed _him to_. _I really had never been the type to believe in love at first sight, but if this wasn't love, why was I feeling my life slip away the longer he remained unconscious?

Finally, after what felt like numerous lifetimes later, I felt his chest shudder beneath my hands. I stilled, going pale. He let out a wheezing cough, his ribs trembling at the effort, and his eyes slowly fluttered open to reveal tired and confused pools of bright blue. His gaze caught and held mine, just like before and I sighed in relief.

I reluctantly pulled my hands away from his chest and let them fall to the ground as I tried to calm my panicked heart. That whole time, it had felt like I had stopped breathing with him. Like my heart had stubbornly, suddenly stopped the exact moment his had. My first glance at him had set my world into motion, causing it to spin and twist wildly in every direction. And not only had I been unable to realize that then, but I was now finding myself becoming dizzy and unable to keep up.

I glanced back at Peeta out of the corner of my eye, watching silently as Katniss cradled him in her arms, her sobs having quieted to cries. I felt a flare of jealousy take a hold of me, gripping me tightly in its embrace as I realized that Katniss had finally fallen for him. Every one of us in this arena knew it had been only an act on her part in the 74th Hunger Games. But then when I had first seen Katniss in person before the chariot ride, she had seemed torn and confused. Like she had no idea what to feel. Kind of like how I was feeling now.

I felt my heart still pounding sickeningly against my ribcage as I admitted to myself that I wasn't confused. I just didn't _want _to know what I was actually feeling. Because then it would make those feelings real, and with everything currently going on, I just wouldn't be able to deal with it.

I tensed as I felt a hand on my shoulder, turning around only to find that the hand belonged to Peeta. How ironic. He was still shaking slightly but his eyes were locked with mine, causing my heart to lodge in my throat. He seemed to be searching my eyes for something, and even though I wanted to pull away and not allow him the right, I stayed still. He must have found whatever it was he was looking for, because he gave me a small smile. "Thank you."

I managed a stiff nod before Peeta turned toward Katniss, allowing her to help him up. I looked down at my hands, still curled up against the dirt, and I realized that I had to say _something_ at least. I stood up with him and grabbed his hand, forcing him to turn back to face me. With a small smirk that hid my true feelings, I leaned forward, pressing my lips against the back of his ear. I felt a delightful wave of heat course through me at the close contact. "Thanks for the kiss."

I pulled away, satisfied to see a very faint blush dusting his cheeks. Katniss gave me a questioning look but thankfully didn't press the matter as her hold on Peeta's arm tightened. As the others made their way away from the force field, I sighed quietly, running a hand through my wavy, blond hair.

I could still feel myself trembling, though it probably wasn't very noticeable to everyone watching back in the Capitol and Districts. Being that close to Peeta…feeling his lips against mine…it had managed to squelch any lingering confusion inside me. But now there was longing. And fear. I was falling in love. With someone who was already taken. And the strength of my feelings was like a merciless tidal wave crashing down, leaving me- an expert swimmer-kicking and scrambling blindly for the surface. He was slowly yet steadily becoming my very source of air.

I was falling in love. And there wasn't anything I could do.

…

Meh, I'm not really sure what to make of this. It sounded so much better in my head and UGH, Finnick just seems OOC…Good God, I just…I don't know. Critique would be more than welcomed and very much appreciated because I honestly don't know if this is actually alright and I'm just being paranoid, or if I really am in a writing slump and I forced this fic out of my brain too quickly. I kind of wish it were longer, too, but…oh well.

My writing usually always manages to sound raw, but this story more raw than is normal for me. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

Anyway…hope you enjoyed and please tell me your thoughts. Ja ne.

~Cutevampirecollie


End file.
